Mass. speaker's pledge seen as positive step by Mohegan Sun exec

Mohegan - A Mohegan Sun official hailed public remarks Thursday by Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo, who told a business group he will offer legislation to allow two Bay State casinos and the installation of slot machines at four racetracks in the state.

"We're very pleased with the speaker's comments today," Jeffrey Hartmann, chief operating officer of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, said in a statement. "A tremendous amount of work and study by legislative leadership has gone into this so far, and we look forward to the process that lies ahead."

That process could bode well for the Mohegan authority's plan to build a casino in the western Massachusetts town of Palmer, where it holds an option on 152 acres off Exit 8 of the Massachusetts Turnpike.

DeLeo unveiled his legislative plan during a speech to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, saying the expansion of gambling would complement recent tax investments in the life sciences and clean energy sectors.

While those have boosted white-collar employment, he said, blue-collar workers in the construction and service industries continue to suffer.

"I have cautioned before, and I will caution again: Gaming is not a panacea," DeLeo said. "But it is a plan that creates a new economic sector and new jobs in Massachusetts when we need them most."

DeLeo said he will file a bill later this month.

The Mohegan authority has been pitching its Palmer plan for more than a year, initially promising to commit up to $1 billion developing a destination casino resort that would include all of the gambling options offered at the authority's Mohegan Sun in Uncasville as well as restaurants, retail shops and an entertainment venue. It would provide an estimated 3,000 jobs.

The authority opened a downtown office in Palmer last spring to field inquiries about the project.

"A destination resort casino in western Massachusetts will provide excellent job opportunities for people who are looking to begin a new career path, deliver meaningful economic impact in one of the regions where it is needed most, and create long-term revenue for the entire Commonwealth," Hartmann said.

DeLeo acknowledged concerns about the potential social costs of expanded gambling, including increased crime, divorce and alcohol and gambling abuse.

"There is no doubt there is a social cost to gaming," he said. "But, too often we forget, there is also a social cost to joblessness. We need to get people working. We will devote a portion of any gaming revenue to addiction-treatment programs."

An Associated Press report was included in this story.